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Nick’s Picks: Volume 1

Nick Papoutsidis

Here at TBAW, we are keen on reinventing ourselves from time to time in order to maintain a fresh image that we hope will appeal to our audience, unlike the good folks over at Convergence. In analyzing our site, I observed that there were no staples that could be anticipated on a regular basis (although now that I actually visit the page, I notice that Campbell hosts a podcast with some degree of frequency. Nice!). Nevertheless, I have taken it upon myself to create a segment that will be featured in instalments for each of our 17 readers to giddily await amid the turbulence of a week in the life of a UCC student. The series will be called “Nick’s Picks,” (corny, I know), and will aim to provide commentary on school-wide events which I deem to be either good or bad. For example, if Joe Hill conducts a funny assembly, it will be listed in the “good” section. If Daniel Tesfay conducts any assembly, it will be listed in the “bad section.” Pretty straightforward. Why is he qualified to determine the highlights and lowlights of the week, you might ask. Good question.

Without further ado, I invite you to indulge in my highly subjective attempt to appease Mr. Dick’s demand for a contribution to TBAW that will undoubtedly fizzle out by Week 4 of its publication.

Week One: January 15 to 19

The Good:

Casual Week: In the days leading up to Winterfest, students were permitted to dress as they pleased, most even following the daily themes (jersey day, twin day). For some, the term “casual dress” was followed a little too closely, with UCC hoodies and roots sweatpants being staples of the week. For others, Spirit Week afforded them the opportunity to “flex” everything from Supreme hats to recently released Jordan’s to whatever Alfonso Del Valle was wearing. For one individual, Shafiq Qaadri, the term “casual dress” was either misinterpreted or wholly ignored, as he chose to remain in proper attire for the duration of the week (never change, Shafiq; Literally). Either way, the ability to dress down for a few days was definitely refreshing and helped to build anticipation for the big day.

Winterfest Games: In the only games that mattered on Friday, Varsity Basketball and Hockey (just kidding non-Varsity athletes, we love you equally), support and performance were both outstanding. The basketball team was able to edge out SAC after James Yeretsian nailed a three pointer in the dying seconds to force overtime. The crowd rushed the floor immediately after the overtime buzzer (imagine if it wasn’t a regular season game) and chants of “UCC” rang throughout the Lett Gym. It really was a great showing of school pride and an equally great game to watch. As we all know, however, the real fun took place at 6:30 in the arena, where the Varsity Hockey lads took on Nichols in a tightly contested match. Though we were eventually bested 2-1, the crowd remained engaged throughout and our players noticeably fed off of the energy, with big hits flying left and right and goalie Joe Howe making timely saves to keep the group in the game. Save for the profanity-riddled taunts after the game had been lost, the student section’s rendition of “Never Walk Alone” and various other chants were truly a sight to behold, and made the aura of the arena feel like that of a college event. Despite the loss, the team remained on the ice to thank the fans for their support, which was subsequently reciprocated to them, and thus Spirit Week was concluded.

The Bad:

Casual Dress: Although Casual Dress was listed in the “Good” section, I would have to be blind not to also mention it here. I can’t say that I was the best dressed personally, but Sperry’s paired with pyjama pants, shorts and timberlands, and an all white fit mixed with green Baffin Boots (you know who you are) were just a few of the lowlights of the week. We know (for the most part) that you’re not trying to impress anyone, but at least make a concerted effort not to look like you walked into the nearest Winner’s and bought the first three articles of clothing that you found. Casual Dress never fails to expose those who are simply fashionably impaired. Green boots? Really?

Rivalry Week: I want to emphasize the fact that this is listed in the “Bad” section for no reason other than the fact that Orr’s vs. Scadding’s House Trivia 2018 was rigged. At least give us a neutral moderator next time. Rivalry Week was actually orchestrated pretty well and further served to build the hype for Friday’s Winterfest festivities.